Thin samples are conventionally cut (e.g., milled) from bulk sample material when determining a quality of microstructures formed on or in a semiconductor or other material. The samples are typically less than about 100 nm thick. Some techniques of forming lamellae are referred to as “lift-out” techniques. These techniques use focused ion beams to cut the sample (e.g., lamella) from a substrate or bulk sample. Such techniques can be useful in analyzing the results of processes used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. Some techniques extract a sample sufficiently thin for use directly in a transmission electron microscope; other techniques extract a “chunk” or larger sample that requires additional thinning before observation. In addition, these “lift-out” specimens may also be directly analyzed by other analytical tools, other than TEM.